Zak Kaufman

Dr. Zak Kaufman is Co-Founder and CEO of Vera Solutions, a social enterprise using cloud and mobile technology to help social impact organizations worldwide work more efficiently and deliver better results. Zak has worked for 10 years at the intersection of technology and the social sector, overseeing program evaluations in Southern Africa and Latin America and architecting data systems for dozens of leading global health and education organizations. Since 2010, Vera has served more than 225 organizations in more than 45 countries and has grown to a team of 50 staff on four continents. Notable clients Zak has served include the Gavi Alliance, the Aga Khan Foundation, the Skoll Foundation, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Prior to founding Vera, Zak oversaw Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at Grassroot Soccer while based in South Africa and co-founded the Journal of Sport for Development, the first open-access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing the evidence of programs using sport to promote health, development, and peace.

Zak holds a PhD and MSc in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College, USA. He has been recognized as a Marshall Scholar, Truman Scholar, Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, Global Good Fund Fellow, Bluhm/Helfand Social Innovation Fellow, and with Dartmouth's 2018 MLK Social Justice Award. Originally from Wisconsin, Zak lives with his wife Elise in Geneva.